ABSTRACT

This paper reports on the use of four poetry writing exercises in the Creative Writing stream of the four-week intensive residential programme, Arts for Recovery, Resilience, Teamwork and Skills (ARRTS), with Australian Defence Force participants diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or anxiety disorders. The programme is hosted twice annually by the University of Canberra. As a Creative Writing Mentor for the programme, I have developed these exercises, which have specific goals: metaphor creation, writing from the senses and using detail, and writing about movement and the body to assist engagement; these exercises are generative. These approaches are predicated on the idea that the therapeutic value of writing is assisted by trying to write well. They highlight the need to both restore and explore symbolic language, an ability which is sometimes lost following trauma; to use sensory detail; and the value of writing in embodied ways. After discussing each exercise, the paper reflects on their usefulness to participants.

摘要

本文报告了在为期 4 周的密集住宿计划“恢复艺术、复原力、团队合作和技能”（ARRTS）的创意写作流中使用四种诗歌写作练习，澳大利亚国防军参与者被诊断为创伤后应激障碍(PTSD) 或焦虑症。该计划每年由堪培拉大学主办两次。作为该计划的创意写作导师，我制定了这些练习，这些练习有特定的目标：隐喻创作、从感官和使用细节写作，以及关于运动和身体的写作以帮助参与；这些练习是生成性的。这些方法基于这样一种观点，即努力写作有助于提高写作的治疗价值。他们强调需要恢复和探索符号语言，有时在创伤后丧失的能力；使用感官细节；以及以具体方式写作的价值。在讨论了每个练习之后，论文反思了它们对参与者的用处。